The annual festival Day of Technopolis GS held on September 6, 2014 gathered 10 thousand people on the central square of the town of Gusev. It was the sixth time GS Group organized the international festival for the residents of the Kaliningrad region.
For six years the Day of Technopolis GS manages to impress the crowd of thousands spectators, arousing children’s and adults’ genuine interest. This time the festival was marked by the wealth of creative and intellectual activities. From the very beginning of the event worked outdoor playground and workshops where one could do crafts from different materials. Guests were invited to make bunches and apply face painting. Around 500 people participated in the workshops during six hours.
Two scientific exhibitions caused not less excitement. They were organized within the activities of the Creative platform GS fund that was registered this year. Cardboard house exhibit ruined a belief that comfortable and functional furniture should be made of wood or plastic. Guests enjoyed walking around a cardboard room, tested the strength of cardboard chairs and dressers and took a lively interest in whether one can buy a similar piece of furniture. Fans of unusual design were not left disappointed: the exhibition ended with a charity auction, where around 50 unique creative pieces of furniture amounting to 9380 rubles were sold. Another exhibition Robotics especially attracted kids’ attention, as, in particular, all the robots were crafted by their peers – children of Technopolis GS employees and students of Gusev Children's and Youth Sports and Creative Center.
41 best employees of Technopolis GS got up on the stage during the official part of the festival. Highly qualified specialists were traditionally recognized for their professionalism and contribution to the development of industries. The winners of children’s drawing contest, competition of hymns among Technopolis GS employees and of competition in social networks were awarded as well.
This year Day Technopolis GS was accompanied by music performance of the stars of the jazz world: South Silesian Brass Band (Poland) and Memel All Stars (Lithuania). A highlight of the evening was the final musical performance by the Russian rock band "Tantsy Minus". The band gave a more than an hour-long concert and performed all the famous hit songs. Audience, stirred by the traditional dance flash mob "Charge the energy of GS", was actively supporting their favorite artists.
"It's brilliant that there is willingness and opportunity to hold such big festivals in small towns. I marked that both adults and children were pleased. I believe that people will appreciate efforts of organizers," – said Vyacheslav Petkun, leader of the band "Tantsy Minus".
Organizers designed Day of Technopolis GS as a bright family event for residents of Gusev, where GS Group develops its project – innovation cluster Technopolis GS. Today the holiday has turned into a full-scale international festival, which is attractive for both adults and children, combining rock and jazz on the stage, and science and creativity on the square in front of it.
Evgeny Mikhailov, Gusev urban district officer, greeted the audience and participants of the festival. "The first festival marked the investment agreement on creating innovation cluster Technopolis GS signed with GS Group holding company. The company management has ambitious plans, and only through our joint efforts it will be possible to turn them into reality. As during all these years, the municipality will be rendering assistance within implementation of the investment agreement," – Evgeny Mikhailov, Gusev urban district officer, commented on the origins of the Day of Technopolis GS.
"This year is a very special one for us. We proceed to implementing the second phase of the project which implies establishing a comprehensive social and innovation infrastructure. The first phase of the residential area is under construction, memorial park is laid out, and the Creative platform GS fund was launched to support initiatives of the Gusev residents and Technopolis GS employees. GS Venture corporate fund, operating in St. Petersburg, is to be shortly attracting promising startups to Gusev from all over Russia, – comments Andrew Bezrukov, Director for Strategic Marketing, GS Group. – I am delighted to see so many people today enjoying the festival with us – Technopolis GS employees, residents of Gusev and other towns among them. This means that Technopolis GS performs its main function – brings people together!"
Entrance to the Day of Technopolis GS festival was traditionally free of charge. Residents of Gusev and neighboring cities were able to get to the festival and back by the special free buses.
